"The box has performed magnificently in tests," he said. "It's going to be a fantastic product."

Uh, huh. Sure.

Where's that 30-second skip button again? How am I supposed to watch football without 30-second skip?

I would also like a 30 second skip, but you know we've become too spoiled when we ask questions like that. How could we possibly watch football without a 30 second skip?? I'm not trying to be a smart alec, but I did it for about 30 years until I got my first DVR....

I would also like a 30 second skip, but you know we've become too spoiled when we ask questions like that. How could we possibly watch football without a 30 second skip?? I'm not trying to be a smart alec, but I did it for about 30 years until I got my first DVR....

From what I understand, the current D* DVR based on NDS tech has a 30 second "slip" button. Not quite instant like the Tivo, but serviceable.

Looks like we've got a good few weeks to do lots of guessing, uh, speculating on what the H20-250 will actually have in it and how it will work. I have heard that one feature is a "consumer upgradable" hard drive - that came from their quarterly presentation to their dealers. The rumors have already started...

I, for one, can wait a month (or more) to see the facts, and then react and make decisions on getting one. After seeing the hiccups with the E* HD DVR and Comcast HD DVR launches (eventually both were fixed with firmware upgrades)...my guess is will be 4Q before a reasonably de-bugged D* HD DVR will be in operation in the general marketplace. That's a normal expectation, and has been proven to be the case with other providers...so we'll just sit on the sidelines and wait...and then the hackers will be fully engaged for all the neat hacks, I'm sure

Sound interesting, but I'll stick with my HDTiVo for now. Once they move more content into MPEG4 I might have to choose to switch or go with cable; but I get decent OTA reception and don't need HD LiL right now. And I also like the 30 sec skip & 2 live buffers. Will be interesting to see what kind of product it turns out to be.

I'm tempted, I'm in the LA market, and I'm moving at the end of next month to an area where I might be able to get decent OTA. The only reason I've wanted mpeg4 up till now is for the improved picture quality over mpeg2.

Hmmm, sae the money on an ota... give up my tivo and get the new mpeg 4 dvr... or keep my tivo and get OTA? decisions decisions...

I'm a long time Directv customer...love the selection, the local channels, my two directv tivos, the selection, etc...whole house is wired.

However, Directv may be losing me (forever?)... I just got my first HDTV...46" LCD Samsung. So far so good... I've got the rabbit ears plugged in, HD looks amazing over the air from the locals. But, after years with TiVo, I can't watch TV without it. So, what to do? My answer for now: Comcast. Unless someone can help/convince me otherwise, Comcast seems like a no brainer at this point. Pros: local channels, no more rabbit ears, HD DVR (15 hours isn't much, but better than nothing), and the big deal: tell them you have Directv and just wait to hear what they throw your way...I can't believe it. One more plus: my incredibly fast cable internet will be $10 off/month. What is Directv offering me? Nothing but a $300 -$400 lease on a soon to be out-of-date DVR...no locals in my area...HD lite(?)...and higher upgrade fees...

So for now, I'm done with Directv...forget it... And, really, if this new Directv DVR and service isn't better than Comcast...and we're not all treated like we're important to their company...I don't see myself going back. I guess I wonder, what's in store for us from Directv and how will it be better than Comcast? Meanwhile, I'm switching to Comcast...

You don't think you can talk them into a free/low-cost exchange of your tivo? I'm not planning on spending a dime on the new DVR. beyond that, I see no reason for you to get the new DVR if you have ota and you're happy with the Tivo. Especially if you don't have HD Lil in your area. Why not just keep your tivo?

Still, the only reason I see for sticking with D* is sunday ticket. If you aren't a football fan, I don't know why anyone would stick with them in the first place.

You may be able to get a free or nearly free hdtivo out of D*, call customer retention and see what they will give you. I was able to get one for next to nothing and I'm not a ST subscriber. There is a thread just devoted to this topic in the hd hardware thread.

This matches with what've been told by email and phone from Directv. I wanted to know if it would be available before the NFL season started and they said it would... so it looks like barely they'll make that. Of course, they also said it would be available before the World Cup. So....

I've been really disappointed with Directv's new product offerings coming out so slowly; if it wasn't for the NFL Sunday Ticket, I would be switching to Cox Cable and getting a Tivo or even building my own PVR from scratch. So really, it's the NFL signing exclusively with Directv that is causing my pain!

Hopefully all this extra time means they got all the bugs worked out of the HR20. Knock on wood because the next release is probably '08 or later!

Good idea about calling D* and explaining my situation (I do not need ST, so that might not help)...perhaps they will give me a great upgrade offer... Problem is, I'll be getting a soon to be out-of-date hd-tivo dvr...no? Won't they have to install a new dish and new wiring, etc...for HD, since I only have SD now? And, will that all have to be replaced when the new HD DVR's come out/or when they bring in the new HD channel line-up?

I guess it's all about minimal cost upgrades...if they hardly charge me for any of this, who cares, right? Still, what a pain, and I'll still have the Comcast come out on Tuesday...no install charge and no contract...and it could still mean the end to Directv for me...

I have been with Directv for almost 10 years, I called to CSR to get a deal on a HDTV Tivos to go with my new Plasma. I have three Direct Tivo's and really wanted to go this route, but the best they would do was $299. Being that the new DVR will be out shortly and I'm sure they would make me pay again, I am bolting to Dish. Going though Centurytel and bundling it with my phone and DSL I am getting the VIP622 and a standard 625 DVR for just the activation fee of $49. My monthly will go up but Dish has a much better HD line up. The voom channels look interesting. I really tried to stay with Directv because their service has been good all this time, but they would not work a deal. If they would have Tivo making their new DVR I might have been swayed to wait a little longer also, but their non Tivo DVR really is a bad piece of equipment. I'll hold on to my DirecTivo's just in case I ever come back, they really are a great piece of equipment even though my first one is going on 6 years old.

I have a simple question, when I got my H20 and asked about the new 5 lnb dish, I was told I wouldn't really need one for a couple of years in Los Angeles. And I've seen messages in other threads where people living in LA have been told the same thing. One was even told that they weren't even installing 5 lnb dishes in the Los Angeles area (which is a lie, because I got them to install one for me, although I had to agree to a two year commitment to get it). So if LA subscribers don't need the 5 lnb dish and won't need it for a couple of years, why are they introducing the HR20 in the LA market first? Wouldn't it make more sense to introduce it first in a market where the 5 lnb dishes are needed? (and after running spell check on this message I have another question: why does spell check want to replace "H20" with "WY"?)

I have a simple question, when I got my H20 and asked about the new 5 lnb dish, I was told I wouldn't really need one for a couple of years in Los Angeles. And I've seen messages in other threads where people living in LA have been told the same thing. One was even told that they weren't even installing 5 lnb dishes in the Los Angeles area (which is a lie, because I got them to install one for me, although I had to agree to a two year commitment to get it). So if LA subscribers don't need the 5 lnb dish and won't need it for a couple of years, why are they introducing the HR20 in the LA market first? Wouldn't it make more sense to introduce it first in a market where the 5 lnb dishes are needed? (and after running spell check on this message I have another question: why does spell check want to replace "H20" with "WY"?)

I've had my 5 LNB since January here in Los Angeles. The only local channel at the moment you are missing off the 5 LNB dish is the FOX SPORTS WEST HD since it's a MPEG4 spotbeam to this market, and it's part-time. I've heard several times that they'd like to turn off the MPEG2 HD Los Angeles feeds as soon as possible. Maybe that's why they are pushing for the HD DVR replacements in Los Angeles. If and when they ever open more local HD MPEG4 channels for the Los Angeles area (maybe KTLA 5 since it'll be the new CW) you will need the dish. That's not to say they will since know one knows what their plans are. I would love to see them start transmitting PBS HD since the OTA signal is so weak where I live.

You don't think you can talk them into a free/low-cost exchange of your tivo? I'm not planning on spending a dime on the new DVR. beyond that, I see no reason for you to get the new DVR if you have ota and you're happy with the Tivo. Especially if you don't have HD Lil in your area. Why not just keep your tivo?

Still, the only reason I see for sticking with D* is sunday ticket. If you aren't a football fan, I don't know why anyone would stick with them in the first place.

So if I'm not a Sunday Ticket guy, where service should I be using? E*, Comcrap?

And some people may feel inclined (forced) to get the HR20 b/c they want their RSN in HD (I'm one of them)...I hate to do it but I've been waiting years for my RSN in HD...

Received letter telling me that D* was dropping my DNS feed(I live in SF bay area and receive HD network programming from LA feed--but no Fox as no waiver granted and of course no PBS in HD at all). I have called these morons 6 or 7 times this past week, have been transferred around, cutoff, promised that a Sup will call me back, all to no success in answering why I am losing DNS. I finally figured that must have something to do with the fact that I had recently installed one of D*'s mpeg 4 receivers(no DVR). I cancelled this device.

Today I called and after being hung up once(the only way that you can talk to a real live person is when the computer asks you to vocalize what your wishes are, you merely tell it "Cancel my account) and you will eventually get someone.

Twice after speaking at length to the 1st line support, I asked to be placed to Customer Retention. The first time, the connection was lost in 45 seconds(probably had no answer for me and just hung up). The 2nd time thru I got to a lady named Miriam. She after consulting at length with fellow miscreants told me that ALL D* users who are getting DNS support will be cancelled from it if they are getting an D* support for local network channels(HD or SD). This she says is because of FCC rules that have recently been enforced in the last 45 days. After a long chat on the fact that I have been a customer of D* for 12 years and so forth, I told her that I had no choice but to cancel D* and go all Comcast(I already have installed their HD DVR support which is not all that bad). I will have to pay a penalty of 12 dollars times the number of months remaining on my D* contract. Stupid me, I had signed up for a 2nd HD 250 Tivo some 5 months ago. I already had another for a couple of years that I acquired from the Good Guys and thought that I would get another as I knew that D* in their stupid wisdom was going to drop Tivo in favor of their probably abortive attempt to build a Tivo look-A-Like. Well they can build all they want now, as it appears that Comcast is my future. Also my understanding is that Comcast is doing a venture with Tivo which is all the more reason. Now does anyone know how to hack a Comcast DVR to expand record time for HD?

If I did have cable, I would be tempted to just get more than one Comcast HD-DVR. You'd be able to record two programs (or more) at the same time and also double (or more) the recording time. Or, does their DVR already have dual-tuners? How much extra would a 2nd DVR cost?

The ability to receive the NY or LA locals if you live in a market where the station is owned and operated by the parent network, or if you live in a remote area where you cannot receive locals with an antenna.

Refers to NY and LA big 4 network stations. Until recently, if you lived in an area with a station owned & operated (O&O) by NBC, ABC, CBS or FOX, you could get either the NY or LA HD DNS of that channel for free.